B+
Minnesota Vikings
Penix Jr. is the plan now, and the Vikings grade out a B+.
by Dingaling ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Vikings spent their marquee pick on Michael Penix Jr., and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. It does the job without flash, and the B+ reflects it.
Landing Marshall Jr. that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 12 they get a long-term answer under center. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 4 slot with a little surplus value in Tommy Eichenberg. A minor itch, scratched.
They took Jaden Hicks at par in slot 127, which is nothing to complain about. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Nehemiah Pritchett in pick 149. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
BJ Mayes is a better player than No. 162 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Ainias Smith in Round 5, Pick 29 lands just on the right side of the ledger. It fills a real need, too.
The board fumbled Jason Marshall Jr. all the way to the 179th pick, and they scooped it up. Stacking talent where they were already deep.